The invention relates in general to a television receiver that is capable of displaying two video programs and an electronic program guide (xe2x80x9cEPGxe2x80x9d) simultaneously. The EPG is displayed in a first portion of a split screen containing a picture-in-picture (PIP) display. Scanning of the EPG causes different video programs to be displayed in the PIP display while the user is still able to watch the original video program on the second portion of the split screen.
In a conventional picture-in-picture (xe2x80x9cPIPxe2x80x9d) television receiver, the television takes video from at least two input sources and creates a single image. The image created by a PIP module is composed of a main part that occupies the full dimensions of the image, and one or more PIP parts that are scaled to occupy only a small portion of the overall image. The PIP part is typically wholly contained within the main part of the image.
The PIP part of the image may be arbitrarily positioned anywhere within the main picture, FIG. 1a. The PIP part of the image may also be arbitrarily sized (or resized), FIG. 1b. 
In the multi-window display mode, also known in the television industry as picture-out-of-picture (xe2x80x9cPOPxe2x80x9d), two or more non-overlapping display regions are arranged on the screen in a mosaic pattern. Each display region contains video from an independent video source, and can be of varying sizes or shapes. The preferred implementation of the multi-window feature limits the number of regions to two, equal-sized panels (panel 1 and panel 2) that are displayed side by side, FIG. 2. In effect the screen is comprised of two main regions.
Television systems are also available which include various types of on-screen program guides which provide a viewer with information about available programs. One of these systems is described in PCT WO 97/34413. The EPG is of the type which provides one or more screens of program listings. These listings may include currently telecast programs and programs to be broadcast in the future. The EPG includes a PIP window for display of a currently telecast program. The viewer may change the program displayed in the PIP window by cursoring through listings of currently telecast programs in the EPG.
The problem with these television systems is that you cannot watch one video program while scrolling through an interactive EPG selecting and viewing other video programs.
The present invention overcomes the above problem by having a split screen with an interactive PIP EPG whereby a user can watch a first video program on one half of the video screen, while using an EPG in the second half of the video screen and selecting programs from the EPG for scanning in the PIP. This provides a television which displays one video program while simultaneously permitting a viewer to search for something else to watch via the interactive EPG and PIP.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.
The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and the relation of one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others, and the apparatus embodying features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which are adapted to effect such steps, all as exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of the invention will be indicated by the claims.